Arslanian heading for XFL
Dave Arslanian, former USU head football coach, has been hired by the Birmingham ThunderBolts as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Arslanian was fired by USU Dec. 2, 1999, after working two years of his four-year contract and posting a 7-16-0 overall record. Before USU, Arslanian spent seven years as an assistant at Weber State University and nine as head coach where he posted a 53-47-0 record. His 53 wins at WSU are the most in school history, beating his father, Sark Arslanian, WSU head coach from 1965-72, by three victories. “Weber State was my life for 17 years, and I didn’t think that I would ever leave,” said Arslanian after being hired by USU, “but it was an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up.” Now working for the Bolts, Arslanian said he plans to build a high-powered vertical passing game in Birmingham. “We are fortunate to have an offensive innovator like Dave Arslanian on our staff,” said Bolts head coach Gerry DiNardo. “There are numerous offensive coaches we could have brought on board, but I believe that none is better to help kick-start a program than Dave.” Arslanian comes from a coaching family. His father, Sark, is a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, the Weber State Hall of Fame and the Pop Warner National Hall of Fame. His 50-26-2 record is the 14th best in NCAA history. Arslanian’s brother, Paul, is currently offensive coordinator at San Jose State University. Arslanian was born April 13, 1949 in St. George, Utah. He is one of six children, and his wife’s name is Pat.